"It's time for women to reject the "hormone myth" and own their emotions in a healthy and realistic way. This provocative book exposes pervasive myths about women's hormones and shows how flawed, obsolete research and sexism have combined to keep women "in their place." The idea that women become raving lunatics when their hormones fluctuate is firmly entrenched in American culture--images of hormone-crazed women are prominent on TV and in movies, books, and magazines--but a thorough examination of the evidence overwhelmingly tells us otherwise. This book will confront the pervasive myth that women are at the mercy of their reproductive hormones, and illustrate how the perpetuation of this stereotype harms women. Scientific evidence shows that the majority of women do not experience major mental disorders linked to their hormones. Rather, a woman's mood changes can be attributed to many of the same environmental factors responsible for mood changes in men. With a thorough exploration of women's hormonal lives, from the initiation of menstruation through menopause, The Hormone Myth will help you reject the negative stereotype of the hormone-crazed woman and gain an appreciation for women's high functioning and potential across their lifetime"-- Provided by publisher.

Introduction : The Myth That Traps Us -- Chapter 1 : Meet the Menstrual Monster and the PMSing Bitch -- Chapter 2 : Only Flawed Research and Profit Back PMS -- Chapter 3 : Keeping Women Down, Each and Every Month -- Chapter 4 : The "Significantly" Impaired Preggo -- Chapter 5 : A Pregnant Body Rules a Woman -- Chapter 6 : The Media's Perfect Postpartum Storm -- Chapter 7 : That's Not Me Crying, It Must Be the Baby -- Chapter 8 : The Reputation of Menopause Precedes It -- Chapter 9 : Aging Into One of the Happiest Times of Life -- Chapter 10 : Be Afraid of the Menopausal Profit Monster -- Chapter 11 : How Lies Persist and What We Lose by Believing Them -- Conclusion : Protecting the Powerful Reality of Women -- Acknowledgments -- Appendix I : Women's Hormones : An Overview -- Appendix II : Ways to Spot Junk Science.